Phorusrhacos - The Terror Birds

This is a piece inspired by Thomas Cole, the US artist from the 19th century. It is also inspired by BBC Walking with Beasts. It was a illustration I did for university. It was painted in Photoshop using images I took of various birds and clay models I created. I consulted paleontologists to help make this piece accurate to real history.

Here I am trying to illustrate the story of the Phorusrhacos. These birds came in many species ranging from small 4ft birds to colossal 10ft birds. They where the top predators of South America. However Panama shifted due to the oceans current and over thousands of years, Panama shifted to create a bridge between North and South America. The Sabre Tooth Cats of North America came to the South. Within only a few thousand years the birds were extinct.

Both predators were the same speed and the birds were excellent scavengers. One theory that explains their demise shown here is that their eggs got eaten time and time again. These birds could not fly they made nests on the ground.

When I first posted this after university it got heavily criticized by a troll stating that it wasn't artistic enough. I then re-painted the image to make artistic amendments although this is not wildlife but scientific illustration.